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Taylor | 818e | Overview

Taylor | 818e | Overview

Taylor | 818e | Playthrough

Taylor | 818e | Playthrough

Taylor | 818e | Feature/Spec

Taylor | 818e | Feature/Spec

Taylor
Description
This is Taylor's reimagined rosewood/spruce Grand Orchestra, now voiced with V-Class bracing and updated with new aesthetic appointments. Rosewood’s rich harmonic overtones, together with the Grand Orchestra body, add up to big, lush, high-fidelity voice. V-Class architecture is the perfect sonic engine to harness the body's large air capacity. A deeper, more powerful sound than ever is the result, while having incredible touch sensitivity and impeccable intonation. New aesthetic elements include a beautiful Antique Blonde shading, "Mission" inlay pattern inspired by the facades of California's Spanish missions, and maple binding accented with koa and ivoroid top trim. Ships in a deluxe "western floral" hardshell case made by Taylor for optimal fit and protection.

Body Shape

The Grand Orchestra is Taylor’s biggest, deepest body shape and delivers the richest, most complex voice. It's incredibly balanced for a big-bodied acoustic guitar. Specially braced to respond to a light touch, the Grand Orchestra is a good fit for players who want the richest, most powerful acoustic voice, for players who like a voluptuous, jumbo-size guitar, and for solo performers looking for an expansive palette of sonic colors and textures.

Tonewood Pairing

A Sitka spruce top voiced with Taylor’s V-Class bracing reveals another compelling side of rosewood. This new Builder's Edition 818ce has a rootsy personality, emphasizing a fundamental focus that responds directly to a player's attack, while capturing all of rosewood's classic richness. The Grand Orchestra body, combined with V-Class bracing, delivers a powerful voice that has more projection and volume. As with all V-Class braced guitars, the sustain and "in-tune-ness" is enhanced to make the player experience even more enjoyable. The Sitka spruce top powers the volume up a notch, producing a powerful tonal response comparable to older, high-grade Adirondack spruce, giving players a higher volume ceiling, which also shines in an amplified setting. These guitars promise to give back to players everything they put in and then some.

Electronics

Taylor's ES2 is a revolutionary pickup design that delivers the latest in Taylor’s ongoing innovation in acoustic guitar amplification. The heart of the Expression System 2 is Taylor’s patented behind-the-saddle pickup, which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. Because the pickup doesn't sit under the saddle, the bottom of the saddle comes in full contact with the bridge, allowing all the nuance of the guitar's tone to come through clearly whether playing acoustically or plugged-in. The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before while playing plugged-in.

Together with Taylor’s custom-designed "professional audio"-grade preamp, this system produces exceptional amplified tone and responsiveness. On stage through a PA, plugged into your favorite acoustic amplifier, or direct into recording software, the Expression System 2 faithfully conveys the voice of your Taylor guitar. The Taylor Expression System 2 operates through a proprietary 9-volt battery compartment and easy-to-use volume, and active bass and treble controls.

V-Class Bracing

Taylor's V-Class bracing is a fundamental innovation in acoustic guitar design. It marks an important evolution beyond traditional X-bracing, introducing an entirely new platform for acoustic performance. It is essentially a "sonic engine" that optimizes the response of an acoustic guitar in three key ways: by boosting volume, sustain, and by largely resolving the intonation (in-tune-ness) issues that have long plagued acoustic guitars. V-Class bracing creates purer, more orderly notes that don't cancel each other out or sound "off." They have clearer, more consistent response, and the whole fretboard is brought into greater sonic alignment for a more musical playing/listening experience.

Guitars with V-Class bracing are easier to tune; the pitch sounds purer and more solid, and electronic tuners can more easily locate notes for quick, precise tuning. Other benefits: harmonics ring more uniformly down the neck, notes are louder with more projection and sustain, and notes are more consistent, i.e., upper register notes don't get choked out or swallowed. Fewer "sour" sonic qualities exist with chords; a more agreeable relationship is created between notes as they ripen, bloom and decay.
Taylor 818e Grand Orchestra Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
Taylor 818e Grand Orchestra Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
Taylor 818e Grand Orchestra Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
warning

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Lead, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Specs
Body
  • Body type: Taylor Grand Orchestra
  • Cutaway: No
  • Top wood: Solid Sitka spruce
  • Back & sides: Solid Indian rosewood
  • Bracing pattern: Taylor V-Class Bracing with Relief Rout
  • Body finish: Gloss
  • Orientation: Right-Handed
Neck
  • Neck shape: Taylor Standard Profile
  • Nut width: 1-3/4" (44.5 mm)
  • Fingerboard: Genuine West African ebony
  • Neck wood: Tropical mahogany
  • Scale length: 25-1/2"
  • Number of frets: 20
  • Neck finish: Satin
Electronics
  • Pickup/preamp: Expression System 2 Professional Audio-Grade
  • Brand: Taylor
  • Configuration: Behind-the-Saddle Transducer with Adjustable Sensors
  • Preamp EQ: Volume, Active Bass and Treble
  • Feedback filter: Onboard Phase Switch
  • Tuner: None
Other
  • Headstock overlay: Genuine West African Ebony
  • Tuning machines: Taylor Nickel Tuners
  • Bridge: West African Ebony
  • Saddle & nut: Micarta "Wave" Saddle; Teflon-Infused Graphite Nut
  • Number of strings: 6
  • Special features: "Mission" inlay made of celluloid/shell, grained ivoroid/mother of pearl; maple body and soundhole binding; Hawaiian koa fretboard and peghead purfling
  • Case: Taylor Deluxe hardshell case
  • Accessories: None
  • Country of origin: USA

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Reviews

4.8

5 Reviews

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

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  1. Jamming4
  2. Practicing3
  3. Recording3
  4. Small Venues3
  5. School Bands1
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced5
Pros
  1. Fun To Play5
  2. Good Audio5
  3. Good Feel5
  4. Consistent4
  5. Stays In Tune4

Reviewed by 5 customers

  • Amazing guitar

    5

    submitted8 months ago

    byMason

    fromNebraska

    Not much to say other than the fact it is the only acoustic you will need. Ever.

  • I like love the playibility of this guita

    4

    Verified Buyer

    submitted8 months ago

    byBruce

    fromFennville mich

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    I average playing 3 to 4 times a week the only change I would make is to have a lr bags pickup installed

  • Amazing sound

    5

    Verified Buyer

    submitted2 years ago

    byDennis

    fromGreen Bay Wisconsin

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    Depth of sound, rich tones

  • Best acoustic guitar so far. It's worth the money spent.

    5

    submitted3 years ago

    byDennis

    fromHonolulu, HI

    The 818e is my best sounding guitar so far. I own a Martin D35 & D16 GTE, Guild D55, Yamaha A5Re, Takamine EF-360tt, Taylor 310e and 410e. I was looking for a guitar that had a full sound and low end sound. The 818e fit the bill for that. It may be a bit pricy, but is is worth every penny spent. My Guild D55 cost more than the 818, but it didn't quite completely fit the profile I was searching for. This Taylor guitar will be my go to guitar when I playing at church. I thought it would be too big playing on my lap, but it wasn't at all.

  • This is an awesome guitar!

    5

    submitted4 years ago

    byJason

    fromVirginia

    I have pretty much always played dreadnought bodied acoustic guitars. Couple years back I purchased a 714CE V-class from Musician's Friend and although it is a fantastic guitar, I have been unhappy with its "smaller" sound, more of a fingerstyle (midrange focused) guitar. Man did the 818E take care of all that! Great for fingerstyle to strumming and everything in between. This is an awesome guitar, loud and deep rich sound.

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